Entre Nous
by Medie
Summary: Between us, much is left unsaid. An old flame of Ezra's comes to town. (ATF AU)


Title: "Entre Nous"  
  
Author: Marianne aka "Medie"  
  
Keywords: Ezra/Other romance. Angst. ATF AU  
  
Disclaimer: If I owned the Seven, they'd still be filming.  
  
Author's Note: In my OW fic, Lise Standish is Elizabeth Wilmington but when I decided to   
modernize her and bring her into my ATF fic, I found she wanted to try something new.   
Technically its really fault of a friend. *G* She made a few comments about Lise being  
French, and Ezra's background in European schools, and bam, Lise is looking at Ezra not Buck.  
That she was a completely different woman in the modern era. Which, in the end, turned out to  
be pretty damn interesting.   
  
  
"Entre Nous"  
by M. Edison  
-------------  
  
One relatively quiet afternoon when Chris walked out of his office to tell Team Seven, in a   
voice of long-suffering, that they'd been assigned consultant from Interpol, Ezra Standish   
thought very little about it. He certainly had no inkling of the impact it was going to have on  
his relatively settled life. Not even when he heard the Interpol agent had a background with   
the French Anti-Terrorist Group did he make the connection.   
  
So when Elizabeth Vachon-Standish walked into the bullpen at Larabee's side, Ezra's heart leapt  
into his throat and hammered out a staccato beat.   
  
Stunned, the normally verbose Agent could only find one word to say.   
  
"Lissie."   
  
Standing next to Agent Larabee, Lise Standish stared into the shocked green eyes of her   
ex-husband not doubting for an instant her face wore the same expression of shocked numbness.   
"Ezra..."   
  
Chris looked over at the Frenchwoman his own facial expression a mixture of shock, curiosity   
and wry humour. "You two know each other?"   
  
God, he sounded like some cliched idiot in a bad romance movie.   
  
"Oui." The slender woman agreed.   
  
"Indeed." Ezra nodded, regaining some semblance of his normal facade. "We were once espoused."  
'As we still should be.' he thought with more than a hint of longing.   
  
"What?" JD whispered to Buck.   
  
"Married..." the ladies' man snapped back in a whisper, his eyes fixed on the scene before him.  
  
The reaction to the news raced through the Seven like a wildfire.   
  
Ezra? He'd been married?   
  
More's to the point, *that* was his Ex?   
  
Anger began to simmer beneath the surface of Chris's expression. Not at the discovery of yet  
another secret from Ezra's past, but at the manner in which he'd found out. Certainly, someone   
should have mentioned this fact, even if it was only to give Ezra some warning.   
  
This was going to complicate things immensely. Asking Ezra to work on a day-to-day basis with  
his ex-wife? It was too much to ask of him in Chris's opinion.   
  
Reigning in a biting comment, the team leader started toward the door of his office. "You two,  
my office. *Now*."   
  
No sooner had Ezra closed the door behind himself and Lise than Chris was speaking to the  
newcomer.   
  
"Well, Ms. Vachon –"   
  
"Standish." Lise interrupted quietly. "I did not return to my maiden name."   
  
The piercing look she received from her ex-husband told Chris that Ezra was quite surprised by  
that little revelation.   
  
Filing it away for further contemplation, the ATF agent continued to speak. "Your file says  
Vachon."   
  
She frowned briefly. "I would assume, without knowing who sent the file, that it is a clerical  
error."   
  
Yet another intriguing comment. From the expression on Lise's face when she spoke and the  
expression on Ezra's, there was a possibility that the *who* she referred to was a specific one.   
  
Perhaps someone involved in the breakup of their marriage?   
  
Dismissing the speculation, Chris sighed heavily and stood behind his desk. "Answer me honestly  
– if you stay here, Ms. Standish, can I trust that your prior relationship will not interfere   
with your present working relationship?"   
  
"We are both professionals, Mr. Larabee." Ezra stated calmly, his eyes on his friend's face and  
very much *off* his ex-wife. "I do not doubt that Ms...Standish and myself can conduct   
ourselves with the utmost decorum."   
  
Lise nodded. "Oui, on this Ezra and I agree. We will not allow any personal entanglements to   
interfere with our work."   
  
Sitting there, looking at the couple's earnestly serious faces, the only thought in Chris  
Larabee's mind was, 'yeah, right.'   
  
-------  
  
"Well who knew..." Buck reclined back in his chair. "Ol'Ez has a few more secrets tucked up  
those Armani sleeves than we thought..."   
  
"Leave it alone Buck." Nathan cautioned with a warning look.   
  
The ladies man grinned back in affected innocence. "What? I'm just makin' a comment."   
  
"You're also speculating on the availability of the lady." Josiah noted with a wry grin. "And  
given the expression on Brother Ezra's face when she walked in, you'd be taking your life in   
your hands if you were to, shall we say, chase after her."   
  
"Yeah Buck, with all the undercover work Ezra's done, he probably knows a few people who could,  
y'know," JD's eyebrows waggled meaningfully. "Take care of ya."   
  
Wilmington snorted. "Naw, it'd probably cost too much money." he grinned. "And we all know   
Ezra...if it isn't somethin' he can wear or drive he ain't interested."   
  
"Don't be so sure Buck." Josiah patted his friend's shoulder as he passed by. "The effect a  
woman can have on a man can be mighty strong. And when it's a lady like that...the effect's  
even more powerful."   
  
"Meaning?"   
  
"Meanin," Vin leaned over to steal a chocolate bar off Buck's desk. "She's off-limits."   
  
The mustache-wearing agent nodded. "Yeah, I know..." He glanced in the direction of Chris's  
office. "I ain't dumb enough to go playin' around a fire that's still goin' strong."   
  
-------  
  
After Chris was finished speaking with them, he left Ezra and Lise alone in his office to give   
them a chance to talk.   
  
Several long moments of tense silence passed, which Lise spent studying her manicure while Ezra  
intently scrutinized the pictures on Chris's office walls.   
  
Finally the Frenchwoman sucked in a steadying breath and stood to face the Southerner. "I'm   
sorry Ezra." she began hesitantly, her eyes anywhere but on his. "Had I known you were with the  
ATF now, this team in particular, I would not have come. Or at least, I would have spoken to   
you first."   
  
Standish surveyed her achingly familiar features, noting how the years had added to its   
loveliness rather than detracted. Lise was even more beautiful than the first day he'd laid   
eyes on her.   
  
"You could not have known the circumstances that necessitated my departure from the FBI nor   
would you have ever surmised that I would take a position with this illustrious agency."   
Despite the pain that came with seeing her again, a small smile of warmth touched his lips.  
"Perhaps, this is fate's way of giving us a chance...to be friends."   
  
'No!' Lise's heart cried out in refusal of the statement even as her head nodded its agreement.  
'Not friend! More!'   
  
She couldn't do it. With all her training and all her control, she could not face this man  
every day – knowing though he was so close he was always out of her reach. She could not share  
a joke with him and watch his mouth form that oh-so-familiar teasing smile without wishing she  
could do as she once would, kiss it into a loving one.   
  
Yet somehow, even as these thoughts raced through her mind and while her heart seemed to ache  
in torment of the thought – Lise Standish managed another smile that passed as friendly. "Oui,  
Ezra...I would very much like that."   
  
'Friends?!' Ezra's heart revolted at the statement as soon as it was out of his mouth.  
'Friendship? We can never be that...not without the rest!'   
  
Years may have passed since he'd laid eyes on the delicate features of Lise's face but the  
emotions that had always come with seeing it had not vanished. They raced to the forefront as   
strong as ever. The urge to pull her into his arms was back and constantly there.   
  
Everything in him wanted to touch her, and as he watched her lips form his name Ezra nearly   
groaned. Did she deliberately soften her tone as she spoke? Was that a deliberate attempt to  
wound him? To play with his heart?   
  
How many times during their relationship had she uttered his name like that? That and a   
thousand other ways.   
  
Softly, like in the night when she wasn't sure he was awake; or the low heated moan of   
lovemaking; the squealed laugh when he'd tickle her, Lise'd never been able to resist having   
her sides tickled; or even the sharp tones of her anger.   
  
There were so many and yet he could recall, and had recalled countless times, each and every   
one of them. Imagined he'd heard them in the voices of some women who'd come since. None of   
them ever able to touch him the way she had. To lay the claim on his heart that Lise Standish  
had, and still held to this day.   
  
He was hers, now and forever. As they'd whispered so lovingly on the day of their marriage. As   
was inscribed on the wedding band he still held. Secreted away on a chain under his shirt.   
  
And, no matter what the divorce papers said, he still saw her as his. Oh granted, he would not  
interfere if she chose another but the fact still remained. A fact that, until that moment, had  
been hidden from even himself.   
  
The papers might have been signed and filed, but in his mind and his heart, he still saw  
Elizabeth Helene Vachon-Standish as his wife.   
  
Nothing had changed. No matter how much he'd tried to convince himself over the previous few   
years. No matter how many times he'd tried to lose himself in another woman like he'd been so  
wrapped up in her.   
  
No matter about any of it.   
  
Nothing had changed.   
  
He still loved her.   
  
God help him, he still loved her. 


End file.
